I’m back in the usual speaking world after nine days of silence.  And I have little desire to write.  But … I thought I’d say a few things:

I walked into Dunkin’ Donuts this morning.  I wondered if big coffee chains in North America (such as Tim Hortons in Canada) still had signs saying you can only sit here for twenty minutes.  Dunkin’ was different – fifteen minutes.

(Sigh)

I find the word “loitering” particularly nasty.  In my home of Ghent, Belgium, you’re welcome to visit with your friends for as long as you like … sipping your cappuccino.  It’s what the world is meant to be.

***

Last night I returned to a Mediterranean restaurant in Boston’s North End.  I had a delicious meal there before my meditation retreat started.  After the retreat ended on Wednesday, I’ve been telling people on buses about the glories of the Moon Restaurant.  Locals had never heard of it.

I showed up yesterday after Google Maps gently reminded me that it was “Mood”, not “Moon”.  The owner Fatima and I had a good laugh.  All that lost business!

***

I sat on a bench this morning watching the flow of humanity.  One young couple caught my attention.  She was black and he was white.  Their hands loved each other.

I noticed the skin colour difference but there was no impact.  Their relationship outshone everything else.

I thought of the past.  In the 1960’s there would have been big reactions from passersby.   We’ve come a long way.

***

Hmm … I did write

As for the future … I don’t know